“Queen Colbie, a word!” I turn and find Sophia Gardiner beelining toward me, fury in her eyes. She’s followed by her daughter, Gianna.
“Fuck,” I mumble under my breath. Gretchin, the good personal bodyguard that she is, steps between us, holding up a hand.
“That’s close enough,” she warns the councilwoman who throws her a venomous glare. The soldiers in our protection detail put their hands on the weapons at their sides. Gianna looks a little wary, but Sophia pays no attention to them.
“How dare you invite members of the rejected species to be a part of the council! I will not be in the same room as those lower species,” she sneers, throwing her hair over her shoulder.
“Well then, I guess it’s lucky you won’t have to,” I snap, fury replacing my nerves. “Thank you for your service, but you will no longer be required as a council member,” I tell her, and Gracelin hands her an envelope containing her severance package. I was hoping I could do this in one group, but I guess I will need to have someone give Councilors Mason and Altmore their own severance packages. I was going to do this before the coronation out of courtesy, but the queens assured me I didn’t owe these people anything.
Sophia’s fury turns to shock as she stares at the envelope like it’s Fluffy about to bite her. “You can’t,” she stammers, her cheeks paling. “I’ve served on the council for more years than you’ve been alive.”
“Yes, and I think it is time for a change, don’t you?” I turn my back on her, and she growls, but none of my creatures consider her a blip on our radar.
“You’ll regret this. You will be challenged, and everyone will see that the reason no one knows what kind of shifter you are is because you’re insignificant and weak.”
I ignore her, and Violet opens the door to the room. I move inside, followed by the others, then I look over my shoulder. I see Gianna try to get a look at who is in the room, and her brow furrows when she catches sight of Watch Team One. I wonder if she’s smart enough to put two and two together. Her gaze goes to the marks on my neck and then back to theirs. Her eyes light up, and as the door closes, I see her reach for her mom, excitement and calculation practically vibrating off her.
“Fuck, Gianna’s going to challenge you,” Gretchin sneers as she, too, sees what I saw.
“She wouldn’t, would she? She’s only a fox, so she has no chance.” Violet shakes her head.
“But she’s good with a knife.” Liam comes over, rubbing his hand up and down my arm in reassurance. “And they think we haven’t shared what kind of shifter Colbie is because she’s weak.”
“Are weapons allowed in a challenge?” I ask, panicking because although we’ve done a little self-defense, weapons are out of my skill set.
“Anything goes, but you’ve got this,” Lucas reminds me as he approaches. “Colbie, you look beautiful. I’m sure your mates were just too stunned at the sight of you to say anything.” He glares at the boys, and they all rush over to give me compliments.
Layla’s peal of laughter is musical and lusty. “You are such a charmer,” she says to her mate, straightening the lapels of his shirt. “Are you ready for this?” she asks him, and he nods firmly.
“So ready to be done with it all.” I frown, worried that asking them to be on my council wasn’t a good idea if they really don’t want it.
“Ignore them. They can’t wait to help you scheme,” Evie assures me, seeing me watch her mates with concern. “They are just trying to keep up appearances.” She rolls her eyes, and Layla actually flips her off. She was the last queen I thought would do something like that, but it makes me like her even more.
“Mother,” Gryffin scolds playfully, and she shrugs unapologetically.
“I haven’t selected the mer, shifter, or fairy council members yet.” I bite my lip once the guys stop fussing over me. I can’t say it wasn’t nice to be adored like that, but I have so much on my mind. “There hasn’t been time.”
“That’s okay. Announce your intentions and tell the crowd your mates will fill those positions until a suitable candidate can be found,” Gracelin assures me. She seems to have everything under control, and I am so happy I asked her to be my right-hand gal.
“Okay, yeah, cool, that works,” I agree.
“We already have a few nominations. I have dossiers on all of them, and when everything settles down, we will invite them for dinner so you can get a feel for each of them and then make a decision.”
“Did your family come?” I ask Titus, who is looking at his phone.
“Yes, they just arrived. General Bryson and Lady Sable are escorting them here and will be with them as their protection.”
“That’s good.” I share a smile with him and feel his relief and joy as if it were my own.
“What about my mother?” I ask, bracing myself for the answer.
Hunter and Liam exchange a glance. “Jenny and Joseph arrived without her. Jenny says they haven’t seen nor heard from her.”
Worry niggles at me. It isn’t like her to not take the opportunity to try and steal the spotlight from me. I would have thought she would be here, wearing her most scandalous outfit and flirting with everyone.
“Where are my grandparents?” I ask, wanting to see them before all this kicks off.
“They are in the VIP seating,” Brodie tells me. “I escorted them there myself. They said to wish you luck.”
